PCRM describes itself as a group of "doctors and laypersons working together for compassionate and effective medical practice, research, and health promotion."

Despite said claimed similarities between primates and man in the scope of disliking getting strapped down and irradiated, the org asserts that the genetic, physiological, and anatomical differences the species will "dramatically limit" useful conclusions that could be drawn from the study.

And, in case there was any doubt, PETA also has a problem with induced monkey radioactivity as well:

PETA writes in a blog post Friday of the cruelties of having monkeys "spend the rest of their lives being forced to perform a host of 'behavioral tasks' to assess how the radiation affected their brains." It goes on to say that although NASA assures the monkeys won't be killed, "they left out the teensy detail that earlier radiation experiments NASA has conducted on monkeys have caused the animals to suffer from fatal cancers, including brain tumors."

The group itself, however, leaves out that the monkeys won't actually spend the rest of their lives being irradiated, but will afterwards retire to the McLean Hospital in Boston where veterinarians and staff will oversee their health.

PETA said it sent a letter to NASA protesting the experiment last week, but hasn't yet heard back from the space agency. ®